If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Hybrid View

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Has anyone of you tried this during pregnancy? How did you feel? How did you manage it? As for me I have tried this and it is really painful and had to do a lot of diagnostic and follow up tests with medications.

UTI may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. And pregnant women are more prone to this. This should not be ignored since this may cause preterm labor just like what happened to me, but thank God it was halted. So if you feel like you are having UTI, never hesitate to consult your healthcare provider.

I would NEVER wait to see the doctor if I had a UTI -- pregnant or not. For one thing they are really painful -- at least for me and waiting is not an option. Plus, it is an infection so you want to make sure you get it taken care of quickly so if doesn't turn into a kidney infection or something worse.

I don't like taking antibiotics unnecessarily and for me, a UTI is very necessary.

Drinking lots of water, wearing cotton underwear, urinating after having sex with your partner, I also notice if I am consuming a lot of sugar or soda (which I rarely drink) I will end up with a UTI if I'm not careful.

When I was ten I had a UTI. It remained undiagnosed for months because my symptoms were not straightforward for a long time. I do not remember haivng painful urination or backaches. I had headaches and fever. My mom finally switched me to a different pediatrician who immediately found out what was wrong. She gave me a urine test and I realized I had stopped urinating. The little bit of urine that came out was dark brown. I had to be in the hospital for one month of the third grade with IV antibiotics. I almost died. I have significant kidney damage that I have to live with forever.

It is important that you see a doctor if you think you have a UTI because they can become very serious and as stated, they are related to preterm labor. I rarely take antibiotics but a UTI is an exception to that. Like DoubleSunshine, I also get them if I am taking in a lot of sugar.

As for pregnancy UTI, I've had two. With one I had classic symptoms, including very painful urination. With the other, I thought I was in labor because of back pain and stomach aches.

When I was pregnant, I had UTI twice. The first time I had it, I didn't had an idea that I was having such infection because I was not feeling any pain. It was only when I was admitted to the hospital due to bleeding problems wherein I was diagnosed to have UTI and threatened labor. The second was when I experienced hematuria, dysuria, and back pains. My obstetrician advised me to have laboratory tests such as urinalysis and an abdominal ultrasound. It was seen that I have small kidney stones on my left kidney. I was shocked with the findings since I drink atleast 2 liters of water a day during my pregnancy. My doctor explained that it might be due to the hormones produced during my pregnancy. Because of that, I really got scarred that until now, I make sure to drink lots and lots water everyday so as to avoid having complications with my kidney.

By the way, when I had UTI during pregnancy I was given antibiotics to treat the infection.

We seldom get urinary tract infections (UTI) but when we have, we have treated them naturally. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be treated with antibiotics because antibiotics can be extremely effective at clearning a UTI. It's just that I like to take precautions to avoid them and if we do feel like we might be getting one, then I like to treat it naturally as to avoid the risks and complications that can come with taking antibiotics.

Having said that, I'd encourage anyone who tends to get urinary tract infections easily, to be proactive in doing a few simple things to avoid them.

One thing is to take pure cranberry juice (very sour) or extract. This can be taken in capsules, chewable tablets, liquid tincture or soft gels. For my young children, I give them the chewable tablets. For myself, I take the capsules or soft gels. The benefit this offers is that the bacteria causing the UTI (most of the time it's e-coli) will attach to the cranberry and when you drink water, it will be flushed out of the urinary tract and bladder.

Something else you can do is to boost your immune system. One way to do this is by taking colostrum. Colostrum has become much more readily available in the past 20 years, and I find it at my local vitamin store. It is colostrum from cows. Also, taking a probiotic like Salivarius (very expensive) can be helpful. If you can't find or afford Salivarius, at you can try something like acidophilus or bifidus, which is more affordable.

Drinking plenty of pure water and keeping your sugar, juice and fruit intake to a minimum can also help as mentioned by a couple of other moms. Bacteria thrive on sugar which means they will multiply faster once the bacteria is introduced into the urethra.

At the slightest symptom of a UTI (achy feeling, strong smelling urine, difficulty urinating), we immediately turn to cranberry (unsweetened) and drink plenty of pure water. Works every time for our family.

Here's an example of how well this works.

When my first child (a girl) was 3, she had fever and was just not feeling well. I remember her being like this for 3 days, and I even had her in a pull-up because it was just easier. Well I remember changing her pull-up and noticing that it smelled strong and that her urine was darker than usual. That's when I suspected a bladder infection.

I immediately started her on cranberry and I had her give me a urine sample in a very clean jar, and then I took it to the lab. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic, but I wanted to see if I could resolve the infection naturally. That was on a Friday. I decided not to have the antibiotic prescription filled until I knew for sure she had a bladder infection.

By Sunday she was MUCH better, and asymptomatic (showing no symptoms of the bladder infection). On Monday, when I called and asked for the results of the test (after they had time to culture it), they said that her bacteria count in the urine was over 100,000. I told them that she was asymptomatic and that I wanted to have her urine tested again. I took another sample in that day, and when I got the results back, everything was within normal range.

My gut feel was right in that situation and that's why it is so very important to know your body and to know your children. The sooner you can pick it up the better your chances of treatment.

Hope this gives someone some good ideas on how to avoid or treat a UTI or bladder infection naturally.

Thank you 5Homebirths4Kate for the wonderful information you provided. Yeah in our family we are also into drinking cranberry extract. We also drink tea like wachichao because it greatly helps in lessening or even cures UTI. Drinking lots of water is a must. And yes just like DoubleSunshine, I'm more prone to UTI when I consume soda frequently.

I was treated with category b antibiotics that time and was on tocolytics also to prevent the progress of my labor. I was on complete bed rest for 1 month and was taking laxatives too because I wasn't allowed to have a hard time defecating. I also had oxalate crystals that time which made my condition worse and painful. But thank God my labor was stopped and gave birth at exactly 37weeks, just enough time for the baby to have functioning lungs.

I have had UTI's during my pregnancies. With one pregnancy. I had them fairly often. I did go on antibiotics for it, but I know drinking plenty of water and cranberry juice are both natural ways to help prevent a UTI and even treat it. In my case, they were recurrent and very painful. I ended up going into labor nearly three weeks early with that pregnancy.

Hi Jessica - I have found Thompsons Ultra Cranberry 17000 - which is a high strength Cranberry extract - very good at helping prevent urinary tract infections. As a preventative they recommend one capsule a day and two capsules daily with food if you have a UTI.

Wow, I'm checking out this Thompsons Ultra Cranberry 17000. I believe this would be a good alternative compared to other commercially prepared cranberry juices which offers only a lesser amount of cranberry. It's just amazing amazing how you can get so much in one capsule. I would definitely love to try this!

Well I'm 8 months along with my third, and I'm having some serious bladder issues. I'm wearing pads 24/7 because everything causes me to leak. I also need to pee at least every hour, if not more. Me and the husband have tickets to a concert this weekend, and I'm considering using ADULT DIAPERS. I know they are gross but so are the porta potties they are going to have on sight, at least I won't have to keep leaving my seat to wait in line. Has anyone ever used adult diapers while pregnant? Anything I should know or any advice?

I haven't used Adult Diapers while pregnant, but I'd say give it a try (maybe before the concert) and see how it works for you. I'm guessing that you're not wetting that much and that the bladder is just having a hard time holding a lot of liquid. If you're going to a concert, you could stop drinking 2 hours before the concert, and try not to drink until you leave the concert. That way your chance of having to go during the concert will be much lower. Just a thought

Yes rachel you may use adult diapers but just make it sure that it won't get wet too much. As much as possible keep yourself dry, and if you think the diaper's wet already, you change immediately. Remember that bacteria thrives on moist places and that would be the last thing that we would want.